April showers...and April flowers

Hello and happy Sunday!  Today is a big day at our house because it is Mina's 2nd Birthday.  We started the morning by sleeping in a bit and a good snuggle before the girls headed outside for awhile.  They are now busy with their special birthday Kongs while I write.  It's been a great start to our day.  

This week has been busy, but not terrible, and we found some opportunities to get out for some weekday fun.  Monday and Tuesday were my busiest days at work this week, and Monday we didn't even leave the house until after 6pm.  I've been looking for new places to explore around the Lansing area, or at least trying to explore some pathways and trails that we don't visit as often.  On Monday, we headed off to check out some spots along the Sycamore Trail that we don't normally walk, and I had a few geocaches to find along the way which took us into some interesting and pretty wooded areas.  The girls had a great time dragging me around the woods all evening!

As you can tell from the pictures, Mina was distracted by lots of birds and other critters moving around the woods.  To be fair, they both had a lot of energy to burn that night, so she was extra distracted.  One of these days, I hope I'll convince her to look at me more when I am trying to take her picture.  But for now, this is the best we can do, no matter how hard I try to convince her otherwise.   And we all enjoyed our time in the woods.

On Tuesday, I decided to take the girls for a quick trip to Soldan Dog Park on my lunch.  Lunch was late that day for me since I had several Teams meetings earlier in the day.  It ended up working out great because the timing (we got to the park around 2pm) and the weather which was gray, cool, and windy with stormy-looking skies.  There were a couple of dogs leaving when we arrived, but otherwise we had the park to ourselves for a majority of our visit.  I love those kinds of visits.

The Spring wildflowers are really popping in the park now.  I love seeing all of the flowers on our visits.  This is my favorite time of the year to be in the woods.  

Mina played several rounds of fetch while we were there, but for most of our visit she was just zooming around the park at full speed watching for birds and squirrels.  Peaches enjoyed this visit more than most since she didn't have to worry about any crazy youngsters running up to her while she was busily sniffing away.  She got some peace and quiet, lots of running, and plenty of time to smell every inch of the park to her heart's content.  On the way out of the park, we met Hank, a 1 year old Chocolate lab, and he and the girls really hit it off.  They had a lot of fun playing with him for a little bit, but then we had to head out so I could get back to work.  It was a great visit and I had a quiet afternoon to finish my workday.

On Tuesday night I had hoped to join a North Country Trail group-hike in the Battle Creek area.  It was their Pink Moon hike, and it sounded like a fun way to get in a few miles on the trail.  Unfortunately the forecast showed the possibility for some stronger thunderstorms, so I decided to skip the hike and just stay home.  The hike still happened, and I don't know if they saw any storms, but we had some nice thunder and lightning in Lansing, so I was glad that I had made the decision to stay home.

Wednesday morning, the girls spent a lot of time outside while I worked.  That's what I really like about this time of year-the weather is perfect for them to spend hours outside lounging and sniffing and playing with the neighbor dogs.  By mid-day, Mina was very judgmentally staring at me because she was ready for more fun. So I took another late lunch visit to Soldan Dog Park.

After work, I had my weekly Wednesday night dog walk at the shelter.  We had a nice sized group of walkers and were able to walk eight dogs.  It was a pretty great group of nice dogs.  Adoptions are pretty slow at the shelter right now, and it makes me a little frustrated to see so many great dogs being passed over.  I want nothing more than for all of them to find good homes.  I am so glad that I can give them a little break from the shelter every week while they wait.  

And then I get to come home to my sweet girls.  Peaches is pretty cute when she's sleeping.

Thursday after work, I made a trip to visit my dad.  When I arrived he was sitting up and wheeling himself around his room in his wheelchair.  It has been awhile since he was up when I got there, and it was really nice to see.  Usually by the time I arrive, he has had a full day, and had gotten back into bed because he's tired and ready to settle in for the evening.  Because he was up, he asked if I wanted to go to the cafeteria with him so he could sit in the dining room for his dinner rather than eating in his room.  I decided to order something from the Java Lounge, the snack counter at the facility, so I could have dinner with him.  They have some limited choices, but I really enjoyed my chicken tenders and tater tots.  It was a great visit with him and I have seen huge improvements in his strength and ability to get around in the last week.  He is getting closer to getting home.

I had brought the girls along with me hoping we'd be able to get out for a walk somewhere along the drive home, but my visit was longer then normal, and we didn't have enough time to get out for a walk.  I did make sure that they got their dinner in their treat dispensing balls, and then they each got a chew for the evening.  I think they forgave me for not giving them any real fun.

While I was visiting with dad, Nicol sent me this adorable picture of Fiona enjoying a book outside.  Poor Nicol is now dealing with an independent two-year old who is sometimes quite the challenge.  Gotta love this stage of development!  At least she looks happy here.

Finally Friday arrived.  The weather was nice in the morning, so the girls once again spent a lot of time outside while I worked. 

At the end of the day, I knew we needed to get out for a walk, and I had several ideas in mind, but there was a threat of rain, so I decided the best option was a visit to campus.  I don't think we've taken a walk on campus at all this year, and that just isn't normal for us.  

This time of year is my favorite on campus because it is especially beautiful with the spring flowering trees and all of the other flowers, and I didn't want to miss it. 

Because of the gray, gloomy weather, combined with the fact that students are moving back home for the Summer, it was a pretty quiet Friday evening walk.  I loved it.  

While Mina was once again distracted by birds and critters, Peaches was busily sniffing everything we walked by.  Every time I leaned over to take a picture, there was Peaches' nose right in the way trying to find out what I thought was so interesting.

We had a great walk, and of course I made them pose for some pictures along the way, but my favorite part of the evening was seeing that I hadn't missed the Magnolia trees in bloom.  As a bonus, I got to smell my first lilac of the year as there were a few just starting to bloom nearby.  

After being dragged all over the gardens, it was finally a time for us to head home.  We got into the car and made it almost all of they way home before the rain started.  It had been a really nice night and I will make sure we get back for a few more visits over the next few weeks so we can enjoy all of the beauty.

Saturday morning we headed out early for our Saturday morning shelter dog walk.  We had a small group of walkers, and I got to spend a nice quiet Saturday morning with a fun group of dogs.  I walked Donatello.  

This boy is so sweet and I just don't understand why he hasn't been adopted yet.  He came into the shelter over a month ago as an 8 month old puppy with his two brothers, and I have watched him grow and learn during his time there.  We've taken him on our walks several times, and he such a nice boy.  He is the last of the brothers at the shelter, and I can't understand why no one has chosen him because from my experience, he's the most well-behaved of the three.  I know that there has to be a home out there for this good boy.

After the dog walk, I headed over for a visit with my dad.  My mom was there when I arrived and there was a lot going on, so I felt like we didn't get to visit much.  What I've discovered is that mid-day isn't the best time for a visit if you actually want to have time to talk.  While I was there, Brezlyn showed up for a visit too.  She hadn't seen him for a couple of months(he was in the hospital the last time she visited), so I think she was excited to see him.  Brezlyn loves to take pictures so she was snapping away during the visit.  Before we all left, she wanted to get a picture of my parents together, so I thought I'd get one too.  I think dad looks pretty good in this picture.  It sounds like chances are really good that day will finally be going home sometime this week.  I think he's finally ready.  Boy have we come a long way since January!

Finally we wrapped up our visit.  Mom and Brezlyn headed out for a late lunch, and I got in the car so the girls and I could head home.  We had plans to meet up with Vanessa for a little afternoon geocaching adventure.  We got to Vanessa's house after 3pm and headed out to find our first geocache.

The plan for the day was to find a couple of older, more challenging geocaches in the area that were in some out of the way or rarely visited places, as well as to team up with Vanessa to see if we could find a couple of other caches that I have struggled to find.  There were 5 geocaches on the docket, and we found all 5 of them.  A couple of them were real adventures and we had a great time exploring a marshy area, a couple of small parks, and then ended our searching with a cache in Willoughby Park.  We actually found two ticks on Peaches after leaving the final park, but I squished them before the girls got back into the car.  Then we headed out for ice cream at Dairy Dan's to end our day before dropping Vanessa off at home. 

After leaving Vanessa, we made a quick stop along the Red Cedar River nearby and at a small cemetery along the drive home to pick up a couple final caches for the day.   Then we headed home where I made the dogs get into the bath so we could make sure we all get a good rinse off to ensure I didn't miss any ticks.  I did some laundry, and the girls ate dinner and then headed outside for a little bit.  We then settled in for a quiet evening at home.  It had been a long, busy day, but we had a lot of fun.

Today we celebrated my special girl on her second birthday.  After a slow morning at home, we made the drive out to Vermontville for the Maple Syrup Festival.  We parked along the street and walked down to the festival.  

In addition to making the girls sit for some pictures, we walked around the festival checking out the vendors, food trucks, carnival food, and activities.  There were plenty of fun things to see and lots of people saying hello to the girls.  They also found lots of French fries which had been dropped on the ground.  They were having a blast!

Part way through our walk, we stopped at the Kona Ice truck and the nice ladies working gave me a cup of shaved ice for the girls to share.  They were pretty happy about this special treat.  I had a delicious smoothie from one of the food trucks and bought some maple syrup, maple sugar, and some maple treats from a few of the other vendors.  We spent a couple of hours at the festival before finally heading back to the car to make the drive home.  

On the way home, we stopped for a few geocaches and then picked up a pizza for dinner.  It was a fun little Sunday adventure and a  good end to our week.  The girls are now sound asleep, and Peaches even put herself to bed before 8pm.  We've really tried to make the most of our April and despite the challenges with my dad, I think we succeeded.  I sure do love this month; hard to believe it will be over in just two days.  Now I'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet before the craziness of a new week starts again.  

A pretty good week

Happy Sunday to you all!  It is late in the day as I write because we have been busy today, so I'll probably be brief.  While we didn't have any grand adventures this week, we did get out for some fun.  This week just seemed a little more slow-paced and I felt like I was able to relax and enjoy some quality time with the girls.  Maybe I'm finally just used to our routine.   Either way, I'm thankful for the fact that I feel more well-rested and not quite so rushed.  Maybe someday life will get back to normal again, but for now I'll settle for more weeks like this.

On Monday, the girls got to have a really nice visit to the dog park.  The weather was nice and I let them run and sniff to their heart's content.  It was a great visit.  

The wildflowers are starting to fill the forest floors and the trees are getting more leaves every day.  This is the time of Spring that I love best of all, so I really enjoy these trips to the dog park with the girls.   Just being outside in the woods surrounded by the beauty of nature really makes a difference in my mood.  

As we left the park, we climbed the snow tubing hill at Hawk Island park on our way back to the car.  It was a beautiful end to our evening.

Earlier in the day, I had left the girls home and had lunch with Nicol and Fiona.  It was Fiona's birthday week, and I was happy to get to spend some time with her.  We had tacos for lunch, she opened her presents from me, and then I got to put her down for her nap before heading home.  She is such a character and I loved getting to spend this quality time with her.  She loves to tell stories and her personality is really evolving.  What a fun age!
 

Tuesday morning started quietly at my house.  Both Peaches and Mina slept in and were happily snoring away most of the morning while I worked. 

I took a late lunch Tuesday afternoon to make the drive to visit my dad.  I took the girls along for the drive and got them out for a walk along the way.  I finished my work day from a McDonald's dining room close to dad's rehab so that I could visit him right after work.  

I had a really great visit with dad that night.  He was feeling pretty good and even said he was feeling stronger.  I stayed for a couple of hours and then made the drive home, making it home just about sunset.  

I had a busy Wednesday morning at work, but I made a point of stopping for lunch so I could get the girls out for a walk because we were expecting some pretty bad storms in the early afternoon.  We took a drive to the gas station so that I could get a Mt. Dew, and I decided to take the girls for a nice walk in the neighborhood there.

It was warm and humid, but we got in a great 2 1/2 mile walk which was much needed by us all.  I made a quick stop at the store on the way home, and we arrived home in the rain.  I got the car in the garage as the storm picked up, and as I found out when I got inside, we had safely made it home in the middle of  a tornado warning.  Luckily no tornados touched down in the area and the weather at my house was never that bad.  The storm moved through quickly and then the weather cleared up for the rest of the day.  Thanks to that nice walk, I had a quite afternoon.

I was glad that the storms moved through the area early so that we could still hold our Wednesday night dog walk.  It was a little chilly and windy, but the dogs that were able to join our walk had a great time.  This time with the shelter dogs always makes my week better, too.  Look at those happy faces!

Thursday I made another visit to see my dad.  It was one of the best visits I've had yet and his progress is noticeable.  He has been told by a casework that they have been reviewing the physical therapy notes and that he may be able to go home in the next week.  I have to say that I thought this was really good news, and I honestly believe he is at a point where this moves makes sense for him.  I know he still wants to work on getting around better with his walker, but I can tell that he actually feels ready for the move home now too.  So hopefully when I write next Sunday, he'll be home.  His physical therapy won't stop then, and he'll still have work to do to continue to build strength and endurance and get back to a normal life again, but this is at least a step in the right direction.

After our visit, I got the girls out for a walk on a trail that I found in nearby Clio.  We didn't take a long walk because my knee was bothering me, but we got in a good mile and they seemed happy with that.  We made a few stops along the drive home to pick up some geocaches to make up for the shorter walk.  It was dark when we got home, but it was a good night.

Because my knee was still acting up on Friday, I took the girls for a run at the dog park on my lunch to burn off some of their energy.  It was just what we all needed.  

I was pretty happy to find my first Trillium of the year while we were there.  Peaches was just happy to be outside!  Part of the reason I enjoy visiting this dog park so much is the joy I see in the girls as they run and explore.  It was a good way to spend my lunch.

Friday was also a big day in our world because these two cuties celebrated their birthdays.   

Fiona is now two, which is so hard to believe, and Picasso turned seven.  Of course Nicol spoiled them both on their special day.  I really love the picture of the two of the together.

After a quiet Saturday morning at home, we headed out to meet up with Vanessa in Marshall for lunch and some fun. 

We had a nice 3.9 mile walk on the North Country trail along the Marshall Riverwalk.  It's one of my favorite spots along the trail, and it was a really nice walk despite the cold.  After our walk, we spent a little time doing some geocaching in the area.  Although we didn't have much success, it was still a great day.

I took some time Saturday evening and Sunday morning to do some cleaning and organizing around the house.  It felt great to have the energy to be productive because it's been awhile since I wasn't just dragging by the end of the weekend.  

We left home late Sunday morning to make the drive over to visit my dad.  I wanted to be able to get the girls out for a walk before we got there, so we may a stop at the Flushing Riverview Park along the way.

It was chilly and windy, so we had a brisk walk around the park.  The sun was shining and the view was pretty, which made for a really nice walk. 

The girls always love when we stop somewhere new, and they really enjoyed our stop here.  We had a nice one mile walk, and then we were on our way to visit dad.

My mom was at the facility when I arrived for my visit so I got have a visit with both mom and dad, which I haven't done in quite awhile.  After my visit, I treated myself to dinner and then took the girls for a walk around Birch Run before heading home.  It was a good way to end our weekend.

I am actually feeling pretty good about the week ahead too.  I have no big plans or commitments, and I'm hopeful that my long drives multiple days a week are nearing there end.  I hope that you all have a great week!  

Doing your best is enough

On Thursday we reached day 100 since my dad first went into the hospital.  It's crazy to think about all that we've dealt with over the past few months.  Thankfully, he's continuing to make improvements, although his progress in getting back his strength has been slower than he has wanted.  I know we are all looking forward to the day that he is able to get back home.  I had a couple of really nice visits with him this week, but if I'm honest, the travel is really starting to get to me.  At a minimum I'm spending two hours driving every time I visit, so there's no such thing as making a quick visit to see him.  

Work has been keeping me busy, and when you add my volunteer commitments and my weeknight visits to my dad, the week days seem pretty long.  Of course, I still have to find ways to get the girls the exercise and mental stimulation they need, try to take care of myself, and keep up on all of the things that are just part of daily life like cooking, cleaning, errands, etc.  I am doing my best, but I'm certainly not keeping up with everything.  It's just a fact of life right now.  

I've been maximizing the days by using my lunches to get the girls out or to run errands, and I have been bringing the girls along with me on my trips to visit dad.  This allows me to get them out for a walk along the drive home while it is still light out.  We've discovered some nice trails to explore and the change of scenery is good for all of us.  Plus I'm really enjoying all of the suns of Spring. This has meant a lot of dinners out over the last couple of weeks and arriving home after dark, but it seems to make the most sense right now.  

I'm thankful for my Wednesday nights at the shelter because my volunteer time gives me a break from all of the other responsibilities of life.  It feels like something I can control and that I am choosing to do for myself (although I do feel some responsibility to the dogs).  I do love the time I get to spend with the dogs.  They are always so happy to get a little love and attention and return it tenfold.  

I've also tried to find one day that we can just do something fun and to take my mind off the whirlwind of responsibilities, but what I need most by the end of the week is a full day of rest.  That seems to be the one thing that has gone to the wayside in most weeks.  I just keep reminding myself that this won't last forever, and I can't even imagine being in my dad's shoes...so that keeps me focused on what needs to be done to get through this little blip in our lives and reminds me to appreciate every day and to stay positive.  This will pass, and I'm lucky to be able to spend this extra time with my dad.

This week, by the time we reached Friday, I was exhausted.  The weather was cool and rainy, and I was glad not to have any plans for the evening.  I had decided earlier in the week that I'd stay home Friday evening and Saturday to try to do some things around the house and yard.  Saturday's weather looked promising for getting a lot done.  I was pretty excited about it.  So the girls ate dinner in there food games and then we settled in for a quiet Friday evening at home.

The girls woke up much earlier than normal on Saturday, and I felt like the thing I needed most was more sleep.  I convinced them to settle in for a little nap after a trip outside and an early breakfast, but they were pretty restless.  I finally decided to get up, but had no motivation to do anything.  So rather than force myself to start odd jobs around the house, I just sat down to read.  When I was feeling a little better,  I thought maybe it would make sense to make a Saturday visit to my dad instead of waiting until Sunday.  So I got ready and loaded the girls into the car for the drive.

Along the way, Peaches was anxious, so I decided to stop at a small nature trail in Shaftsburg to stretch our legs.  We enjoyed this lovely little area so much that we walked all of the trails in the park, and by the end of our walk, I knew what we really needed was a day off from running around and responsibility, so I changed the plan for the day again.

It was such a beautiful afternoon, that I decided to head to Lake Lansing North Park for some more time in the woods.  It was a beautiful late afternoon to be in the woods, and the marshes around the park were full of new life.  I saw skunk cabbage and marsh marigolds, and we heard lots of birds and peepers.  The girls were happy to be outside, and so was I.  

Ultimately, I made the decision to stay home on Sunday as well, and take the full weekend to catch up on some work around the house and yard, as well as to catch up on rest.  The weather is absolutely beautiful, so I'm hoping to do a little work outside this afternoon after spending the morning finally finishing my taxes and doing some other things inside.  

The girls have alternated whining to go outside with whining to come inside.  Peaches just isn't happy outside like she used to be and can be pretty pathetic(and annoying).  I had hoped that they'd just want to spend time outside on this beautiful day.    Mina has had some fun outside, but is currently whining to come back inside again, which I'm sure will start a nice wrestling match.  I'll be heading outside soon, and hopefully that will make them both happy.

This week was originally supposed to be the week of my Spring vacation, but with everything going on, I never got the chance to plan a road trip, and it doesn't make sense to be away from home for a week right now.  I thought about taking the week off just to stay home, but instead, I think we're going to plan a longer trip for June so we can get away and really get a break.  But I sure am going to miss my April vacation.  It's always one of my favorite times to explore new places.  

I am excited that I'll get the chance to see Fiona this week, though.  I can't believe that in just a few days, she will celebrate her second birthday.  Where has the time gone?!?  

Now I'm off to get some lunch and enjoy this nearly perfect Spring day.  I hope that you all have a great week!